superstitions
by ulstergirl
Summary: Nancy and Ned attend a wedding together, but they only have eyes for each other.


Nancy took the last curler out of her hair, then began to gently smooth a few loose strands, smiling in approval. For her bridesmaid's dresses, Julianne had actually selected something that they could wear again. The long gown Nancy wore was a deep blue-green, with spaghetti straps. She had put on a locket Ned had given her, and small diamond stud earrings. The woman in the reflection glowed with happiness.

"He's here!" Hannah called up the stairs.

"Be right down!" Nancy called, smoothing her fingertips down her jaw, making sure her makeup was blended. She picked up her clutch purse and stepped into her slingback heels, took a deep breath, then walked to the head of the stairs.

Ned stood at the foot, and as soon as her gaze rested on him, her heart skipped a beat. He looked so incredibly handsome. Ned wore a tailored coal-black suit with a black tie, and his dark-eyed gaze was locked to her.

"You look beautiful," he told her. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. "Thanks for taking time off work to go with me."

He shrugged. His time in the lifeguard chair had deepened his tan, had lightened his hair a little. "An excuse to hold my girl in my arms and dance with her?" he murmured, when she was close enough to touch him. "How could I possibly turn that down?"

Nancy grinned. "Maybe we shouldn't even go to the wedding," she teased him. "You're gonna outshine every other guy there."

"Speak for yourself." Ned offered her his arm, so he could escort her out to the car. "No one will be able to even see the bride, with you standing up there."

"Flatterer."

Ned kissed the crown of her head, and a warm shiver went all the way down her spine.

Nancy wasn't surprised, but she was disappointed, when she couldn't spend much time with Ned before the wedding. Julianne and the other bridesmaids, her mother and the maid of honor, were all fluttering around the dressing room, searching for lost earrings and safety pins, making minute adjustments to hems and hairstyles. Nancy did her share of fetching too. She grabbed bottles of water and used a bleach pen to deal with a mysterious stain, and sewed a bit of torn lace back onto the flower girl's dress.

Then it was time. Nancy took her bouquet and joined the group of whispering, giggling, fidgeting bridesmaids at the back of the church. Ned was sitting near Bess and George, and when Nancy moved down the aisle near their seats, she could feel Ned's gaze on her, and she couldn't help smiling.

The church was beautiful, decorated with what had to be hundreds of roses. The sunlight coming through the tall windows caught in Julianne's hair and made her eyes gleam, and she looked like an angel.

But Nancy only had eyes for Ned. She saw him sitting there, looking so very handsome, his dark eyes so warm. He couldn't seem to look away from her either.

She remembered the very first wedding she had ever attended with Ned, and how she had avoided coming anywhere close to catching the bouquet. They had been too young to consider, to even say the words, though she had known they were in his heart. For a long time now, she had known how he saw his future, and the role he had wanted her to play in it. But he had never pressured her or made her feel uncomfortable about it.

Everyone else in the entire church was focused on the couple standing at the front, and Nancy had to remind herself to pay attention when it was time for Julianne and Tyler to exchange their vows. Such a soft, minor thing, and yet to them it meant the world. As they repeated the minister's words, Nancy glanced back at Ned and saw him smiling at her. Bess was gently blotting happy tears before they could totally ruin her makeup, and George had a polite, if slightly bored expression on her face.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the minister said, and Nancy felt a thrill go down her spine.

After the ceremony was finished, after that first kiss, after what felt like hundreds of staged photographs, Nancy walked into the reception hall with the rest of the wedding party. Ned, Bess, and George were already there, and they came over to greet the newly married couple. Then Ned casually slid his arm around Nancy's waist, and she leaned against him. Boy, was she tired. It had been a long day, and at least most of it was over now.

But she knew Ned would want to dance, and to be perfectly honest, she did too. They went through the buffet line together and served their plates, finishing the meal with slices of gorgeous, delicate wedding cake. Bess was gushing over everything, talking about what she would do for her own wedding; George was threatening to elope.

Ned reached for Nancy's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze under the table. "I told you," he murmured. "I only had eyes for you up there, beautiful."

She blushed as she grinned. "And I couldn't stop looking at you either," she murmured. "I'm just glad I wasn't maid of honor. I probably would have forgotten to even pass her the ring."

Ned moved forward and brushed a kiss against her cheekbone. "You're finished for the night, right?"

She chuckled. "Right, unless there's some emergency... or if some villain steals wedding gifts or tries something..."

Ned gently put his thumb over her lips, pinning her with a mock-warning glare. "Don't even think about it."

After their meal, Ned was impatient to start dancing, but they waited until the newly-married couple had shared their first dance. Then Ned offered Nancy his hand, and feeling his arms around her, feeling the solid warm muscle of him against her, was like nothing else. They swayed to the sentimental, romantic music, quietly delighted to be so close to each other. They only spent a few dances apart.

"Doesn't this make you just want to have your own wedding soon?" Bess asked Nancy when they were walking together to the punch bowl, taking a break to cool down.

Nancy shook her head. "I'd be happy to help you plan yours," she said. "But all this..."

"You've never liked being the center of attention," Bess sighed. "Oh, Nan, it would be your wedding day! And you would be such a beautiful bride."

But Nancy just smiled and shook her head. The only person whose opinion she cared about, when it came to a possible wedding... well, she wasn't worried about it.

Later that night, the older people had begun to say their goodbyes and slip away, and the champagne was still flowing. Nancy's feet were aching, but she still didn't want to leave Ned's arms. Then the DJ announced that it was time for the bride to toss her bouquet, and several of the bridesmaids and young women in the crowd began to buzz with excitement as they crowded around Julianne.

"Nan?" Ned raised his eyebrows, as he and Nancy walked slowly back toward their table.

She smiled and shook her head. "They can have it," she said. "I... I was just remembering something that a wise man once said to me."

"Oh?"

They sat down together. Bess had joined the group of girls vying for the bouquet; George was chatting with one of the caterers.

"He told me that he knew what he wanted his future to be, and he didn't want superstition or anything else to interfere with it," she said. "If I caught a bouquet tonight, it wouldn't change that, so why not let some other girl win a prize that would mean something to her?"

Ned nodded. "So what's your future?"

"Much like him, I want to be successful and establish myself in my career... and build a life with the most incredible guy I've ever met."

A smile teased Ned's lips, but he gazed straight into her eyes. "Sounds like an incredibly lucky guy," he murmured.

Nancy shook her head, holding his gaze. "There's no luck about it," she said. "He works hard and puts his heart into everything he does."

"Much like the woman he loves," Ned murmured.

On the other side of the room, Julianne was turning, preparing to toss her bouquet, but Nancy and Ned didn't see it. Nancy's lashes drifted down as Ned touched her cheek, giving her a long, sweet kiss that swept everything else away, leaving only the beating of their hearts and her shivering realization.

Nothing else mattered. Not a few scattered rose petals, a cloud of delicate tulle, satin ribbon and white tablecloths. Only this, and the life they would share. The life they had already begun to share.

Her lashes fluttered up as he pulled back. "Why are we waiting?" she whispered, before she could stop herself.

He smiled at her. "Because it's supposed to be a day like today," he pointed out. "A year of planning. Every detail figured out."

Then Bess returned to the table, crowing with glee, showing off her bouquet. Nancy and Ned congratulated her, and the joy in her face made Nancy even more sure that she'd made the right choice. Bess was a hopeless, eternally optimistic romantic, and catching the bouquet had made her day, her week.

The DJ announced the last dance before the couple's departure, and Ned took Nancy out on the floor again. As soon as she was in his arms again, she gazed up into his face.

"And when have we ever done something just because we're _supposed_ to?"

Ned laughed. "All the time," he pointed out.

Nancy laughed too, more quietly. "Is that what you want?" she asked.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, then nuzzled against her ear. "What I want is you," he murmured. "And I have you, and I love you so much."

She turned her head and kissed him. "You have me," she whispered, stroking her fingertips down the nape of his neck. "And I love you. Forever."

"Forever," he murmured, and she shivered when he kissed her again.


End file.
